Do not "summarize this"! (Podcast)

Digital Digging

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Do not "summarize this"! (Podcast)

Episode 4: improve prompts to get a better summary

Henk van Ess

Sep 28, 2024

Transcript

Welcome to Digital Digging, I’m Henk van Ess, and today I talk about summarizing with AI chatbots. You’ve probably tried it—just typing “Summarize this” into ChatGPT and hoping for the best. Don’t! It’s like asking for a full meal and getting a side salad.

In this episode, I cover some highlights from my article “Do Not Use ‘Summarize This’” and break down how to get the summary you actually need. Whether you’re trying to condense War and Peace—which, spoiler alert, is more than just ‘Russia had a rough time, some people fell in love’—or customizing your prompts for better AI results, I’ve got you covered.

Discussion about this podcast

Digital Digging

Welcome to Digital Digging, the podcast where AI and investigative research collide in what can only be described as a digital dumpster fire of possibilities. Hosted by Henk van Ess, a man who willingly handed his voice over to a machine (because why not?), we explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we uncover, analyze, and inevitably freak out over information online.

Each episode unpacks everything from spotting AI-generated texts—yes, AI trying to fool you—and uncovering global secrets using open-source intelligence, all while featuring two AI co-hosts, Castor and Pollux, because what’s a podcast without some virtual sidekicks? Think of them as the Alexa of bad advice, but with slightly more charm.

We’ll cover the latest tools, mind-bending techniques, and possibly even a few ethical dilemmas—because AI isn’t going to raise them itself, is it? Whether you’re a journalist, a researcher, or just someone who fears the robot uprising but can’t look away, Digital Digging is your crash course on the brave, new, and slightly terrifying world of AI in investigations. Buckle up, because the future’s here, and it’s weird.

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